Season 2 of Apex Legends, Battle Charge, has brought many new changes to the game, including drastic map alterations, a brand new Battle Pass, and new hop-ups which have changed the in-game meta.
For a long time, the perfect loadout included a Wingman, a Peacekeeper, an R-99, or an R-301. These were guns sought after in every match, whether it be competitive or public Apex Legends. Some high-level players opted for the Eva-8 as part of rush, burst damage builds, but this gun isn’t so popular in your ordinary servers.
Now, the meta is taking its first stumbling steps into new horizons. With the introduction of the Hammerpoint Rounds and the Disruptor Rounds, old-school notoriously trash-tier guns, like the P2020 and Mozambique, become very, very strong.
Pick up an Alternator with the Disruptor Round hop-up attached. It shreds through shields, with 30-plus damage per shot. That’s three shots to knock off Purple Armor. Switch to a hop-up P2020 and shred the enemy’s health with three well placed 30-plus damage headshots.
The team at Respawn have listened to the fans when it comes to buffing these useless guns. A new rotation of gold weapons – which includes the P2020 and Mozambique – allows you to pick up and play with these fully-kitted weapons from the get-go.
Already fans are noticing the change in meta. Posts across reddit start to discuss the powerful Alternator, a gun so strong there seems little point to trying out the other new buffed guns, like the extended Devotion or damage-increased Flatline.
Professional and competitive Apex Players worry about their well-trained Wingman aim. The powerful revolver received another nerf with the latest update for Season 2: the Skullpiercer Hop-Up is now gold-tier and much rarer as a result.
Other players aren’t happy with the changes. The power of the Alternator (and how easy it is to use) set a worrying precedent for those who value Apex Legends for its high skill-cap gunplay and movement. Maybe these buffs from Respawn took it a step too far.
Other meta-changing additions to the game mostly revolve around map changes. Large parts of the map have been destroyed, opening up the area around Bridges and transforming the Shattered Forest into a much more playable area.
